


Broken boredom

by TorScrawls



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Found Family, Gen, a snippet from one of the long months we dont get to hear about in the podcast, cursing, does not go against canon, it doesn't really matter, no major spoilers, or somewhere close, set before the Suffering Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2018-12-03 12:35:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11532351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TorScrawls/pseuds/TorScrawls
Summary: Magnus and Taako feels the toll of boredom after their life at the Bureau of Balance becomes mundane. Their quest for a distraction saddles them with a small detective boy who just wants to help, and a small town that are plagued by a creature with oddly familiar powers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I will try to update this story regularly, but a comment or review would go a long way to motivate me further! 
> 
> English is not my first language and I would love it if you could help me with any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, I write to improve :)
> 
> Have a great day!

“Let’s go to old Lucretia’s place. I am bored out of my mind. I am dyyyign Mags.” The words were accompanied by a dramatic hand to the forehead as Taako slumped down in the chair he sat on.

“Taako. We went there five times yesterday and have already been there twice today.” Magnus heaved a deep sigh from his position splayed on the couch. “What makes you think that she will change her mind now?” Magnus cast his friend a tired look. Taako did not deign his question with an answer, instead walking towards the door leading out from the reclaimers quarters.

“Come on slow-poke! Let’s stir up some shit!” Before Magnus could answer, Taako was out the door, leaving it wide open. Magnus heaved another sigh and got to his feet. Better keep an eye on his friend, shit tended to hit the fan when Taako became too bored, sometimes quite literally. Besides; Magnus could do with something concrete to occupy himself with for a while. After weeks of no new information regarding any Grand Relics and constant training at the base, he was itching for something to do.

At the beginning of their stay at the moon-base their days off had been a blessing; giving them a chance to acquaint themselves with their new home and the people, and gave them an opportunity to rest up between missions. Now, on the other hand, with no new assignment in sight time passed agonizingly slow. What was once an exciting base full of strange and new people were now old news.

Merle had left the day prior to go on another of his mysterious private excursions. Taako would always pester the dwarf with insane theories concerning his whereabouts during these absences, but Merle never told them where he went or what he did during these regular outings.

So with nothing to do for the past couple of days Magnus and Taako had taken up perfecting the art of moping around, a past-time that were only interrupted by their own small excursions that at least had a clear goal that everyone knew of; pestering Lucretia.

Magnus strode through the still open door, only to stop just before running straight into a small boy on his way into their quarters.

“Hello, sir! I just met Taako, but he seems too busy to answer the questions I asked him. Even if he weren’t too busy to laugh at me when I dropped one of my books…” The boy trailed off as he looked down at the small pile of magic-books he had clutched in his arms. Before Magnus could try to console the boy best he could, he had snapped his eyes back up to look at Magnus again.

“Anyway. I wanted to know what you two are doing? I am tasked with aiding you if you have any new intel and-” Magnus cut him off by placing a hand on his head.

“Great Ango, thanks. I have to go.”

“Sir, where are you going? Do you have somewhere important to be? Is that where Taako was going?” Magnus did not have the heart to tell the kid that he had nowhere better to be than right in his quarters right now. No one to visit and nowhere to go back to, and he suspected that Taako were in a similar situation, seeing how secretive the elf was concerning his past.

Magnus sidled past Angus as he talked, trying not to look down at the kids big, and too knowing, eyes. “Well you see kid, me and Taako wanted to talk to Lucretia about doing a small extra mission. You know; kill some time, stretch some muscles.” At this Angus nodded slightly and followed Magnus to the elevator.

“That makes sense. I can also feel slightly cooped up in the base sometimes. And it is not like we have Merle’s option of visit-” Once again Angus was cut off, but this time by his own hand slapping over his mouth. Magnus looked down at the kid and saw horrified eyes scanning the surrounding area. Magnus glanced around in the small corridor himself, feeling like he missed something important.

“What Ango? Merle’s option of what?” Angus only shook his head intently and slowly lovered the hand covering his mouth.

“Nothing, sir! It was nothing! Sorry, sir.” Angus laughed and it sounded more scared than joyful. “The madam director is in a meeting with the regulators and if you want to talk to her I think it would be best to wait awhile.” Magnus furrowed his brows, but decided against bringing up the sudden change of topics. He got in the elevator and jammed the button to the top floor, not complaining as Angus squeezed himself into the space beside him.

“Well, shit. Taako’s sure to be there already.”

\--------------

As Magnus arrived at the madam director’s office he could hear raised voices through the open door. He took a couple of deep breaths to collect himself before entering the room. When he did, he almost missed the mind-numbing boredom of the last days.

Taako was standing in the middle of the room on top of a couple of tables, evidently dragged there for the meeting that had evidently taken place in the room before Taako’s undoubtedly tactful interruptions of the proceedings.

The regulators all sat in chairs surrounding the table. Most of them were talking loudly to each other, except Killian who was shouting at Taako to get down, and Lucretia who sat at the head of the table with her head in her hands.

“Taako! Did I arrive in time for the party, or what?” At the sound of Magnus’s voice everything quieted down as they all turned to look at the new arrival in the room, most of them sighing in exasperation at the sight of another of the regulators.

“Yo Maggie! I was told I was making a scene, so I made sure to at least be standing on one.” At this he gestured to the tables which he was currently standing on and Killian groaned out loud.

“For the last time Taako. Get. Down. We were in the middle of a meeting before you decided to waltz in here.”

“Ah! ‘Were’ is the key word there. You are not having a meeting right now are you?” As Killian’s face contorted in renewed anger, Magnus stepped forward. 

“We get it, we get it. We were only passing by to ask if there were any new missions available?” He ended his talk in a question, taking a hold of Taako and yanking him off the table under great protest, which he stoically ignored. Finally, Lucretia looked up.

“For the last time Magnus; there are no new missions for you. I will tell you as soon as I have something for the three of you. How many times have we been over this the last couple of days?” Taako opened his mouth, no doubt intent on answering, but one look at Lucretia’s tired eyes and hard grip on her staff made Magnus grab the wizard in an impromptu headlock. 

“You can’t blame us for trying!” He said merrily as Taako struggled against his arm. She sent him a scathing look.

“Yes. Yes I can, Magnus.”

“Actually…” The small voice behind him made Magnus stop and turn, Taako making an undignified squawk as he was dragged around where he was still clutched under his arm. Angus stood just inside the open doorway, clutching his books with white-knuckled hands. Magnus had completely forgotten that he had been accompanied by the small boy. “We got some intel today that the small town of Groovestone to the east has been under repeated attacks by a mysterious creature. Normally this would not warrant our involvement, but the description states that the beast is ‘otherworldly’ and ‘does not abide by the normal rules of nature’. It might be worth it to check it out…?” Angus trailed off from his small presentation, seemingly realizing that all eyes in the room were on him. Suddenly, Lucretia smiled.

“Yes. Good work Angus. There. You have your mission. Now. Get out of my office.” The smile on her lips did nothing to elevate the chill in her voice. Not even Taako argued with her as they made a swift exit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have an argument about, and with, the smaller boy.

“No, absolutely not.” Taako stood in front of the sphere with his arms crossed, looking down at the small boy in front of him. Angus, for once, did not flinch back.  
  
“Please, sir. I have contact with the locals, I can be of help.”  
  
“I did not sign up to be a babysitter! Magnus, get the boy to see some sense.” Magnus stopped dead in his tracks as he approached the big hangar that contained the spheres that would take them down to the outskirts of Groovestone, he contemplated if he could get away with not hearing him, but Angus moved in front of him and turned his big eyes up into Magnus’ face. Those eyes should be illegal. And when did the kid learn how to _use_ them?  
  
“Eh. Well… It might not be that bad…” Magnus glanced at Taako and immediately regretted it. The wizard was glaring at him hard enough to make him swallow. “Or… not.” He looked back down at Angus, into what he thought was safety, but the crestfallen watery look he received broke his heart. He was trapped. “I don’t… know…” Magnus trailed of, desperately looking everywhere in the room but at the other two inhabitants.  
  
“Coward.” He heard Taako mumble before the other directed his attention towards Angus again. “Come on little man. You are somewhat intelligent. Stay on the moon with the others.” Magnus was glad that he was looking the other way, this prevented Taako from seeing his smile. _You are smart. Stay safe._ Taako had a way with encrypting his words, hiding the real meaning. As Angus lowered his head, Magnus felt somewhat sure that the boy had not yet cracked the code completely. It took some deciphering but Magnus was getting good at understanding his friend, not that he would ever embarrass Taako by telling on him. God forbid that people knew he cared sometimes.  
  
Silence enveloped them as Angus hung his head. Taako stood still and stern for all of five seconds before he shifted from foot to foot and once again sent Magnus a pleading glance. Magnus sighed.    
  
“Ango. It’s gonna be dangerous, and-”  
  
“I know it’s going to be dangerous. That’s why I want to help.” Magnus felt slightly put off that the boy had actually _interrupted_ him. Well, there was a first time for everything. Angus seemed to realize what he had done and blushed slightly. “I am sorry sir. I really do want to help though. It is really hard to stay up here all the time when you get into dangerous situations. I helped in the _Chaos Stadium_  didn’t I?” Angus looked defiant, and for once did not look away from Mangus’ eyes as they locked gazes.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, you did. But if this beast is as dangerous as you said it was, then it might really get dangerous down there.” This was as close to saying _I am worried about you_ that Magnus felt comfortable going.  Angus’ widening eyes and half-open mouth seemed to be proof enough that the other had picked up on his meaning. Taako huffed and poked Magnus in the side.  
  
“Come on big guy. Let’s go. I have to be back before the end of the week for a… _meeting_.” Magnus cast his friend a look as he turned to follow him towards the spheres. Taako had had several _meetings_ since their mission in Lucas’ lab. Magnus tried not to think about Taako’s secretive meetings, Merle’s mysterious outings, and how he seemed to be the only one without somebody else to visit or somewhere else to go. It was a losing battle and Magnus hung his head as they passed Avi, who was sitting by one of the spheres, tinkering.  
  
They had reached the sphere before Magnus felt something grab onto his pant-leg, making him stop short. He turned slowly, already knowing what he would find.  
  
“Angus, please stop-” What he had not been prepared for was the angry look on the small boy’s face. Magnus trailed of, suddenly not knowing how to deal with the child in front of him. Angus had been trusting since the day they met him and always, always, listened to what they said. Most of the time, that what not an entirely good thing. Magnus had never seen Angus this determined before.  
  
“I am coming with you. I have the contact to the locals. Without me, you won’t know where to look.” Magnus knew that they would eventually be able to find the monster themselves, and he knew that Angus knew this as well. But the display of new-found confidence _did_ sway him slightly. With a start Magnus realized that what he felt swelling inside him was pride.  
  
“Ango.” It was more of a plead than an admonishment. The boy held his gaze. For the first time it was Magnus that broke the eye-contact as he tried to send a pleading look to Taako, who just _happened_ to be standing with his back to them at the moment, hearing nothing.  
  
“Sir. Just this once.” Magnus saw the small hand that gripped his pants tremble slightly and suddenly felt something in him give. He felt his shoulders sag as he breathed out a long sigh.  
  
“Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that I write Magnus as a big soft-boy. I love him like that. Hope you enjoy this short chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus, Taako, and Angus arrive at the town of Groovestone. After a cold welcome they make a warm discovery.

“I can’t believe you let the kid join us!” Taako sat slumped in his chair, waving his hands animatedly in the air.   
  
“Taako! He can hear you!” Magnus looked over at Angus, who was staring out over the landscape flying by beneath them with an awed look.  
  
“I don’t care! You were the one who wanted to bring the kid so badly!” Taako shot Magnus a nasty look.   
  
“It’s too late to change anything now. Just… try and behave alright?” Magnus sighed as Taako flipped him the bird and turned around again to stare out the window.   
  
“I am sorry to interrupt sirs, but we are almost there.”  
  
“Great. Thanks Ango.” The sarcasm in Taako’s voice made both Magnus and Angus flinch.  
  
“Taako, can you try to be somewhat polite?” Magnus looked over at Angus, worried how he took all of this arguing.  
  
“No. I can’t. You brought a _kid_ on this mission.” Angus lips curled in a small smile at Taako’s words, and Magnus had to re-asses how much the kid actually understood of Taako’s convoluted way of caring.

  
  
  
They landed close to the outmost house in the small town and made their way out of the sphere and into the town without incident. As they entered the main street they stopped. The town looked abandoned; nobody in the streets, nobody at the windows, and nobody out to greet the new arrivals.   
  
“Well. I guess we will bring the party!” Taako took of down the street and Magnus and Angus followed behind, Magnus keeping his eyes peeled at the empty doors and windows; trying to catch a glimpse of movement.  
  
They stopped at the square in the middle of town. For a few seconds they only stood there, staring around them, waiting. Nothing happened and Magnus began to feel slightly restless, standing in the middle of a seemingly empty town, when Angus took a deep breath.    
  
“Hello? We have come to help!” His boyish voice echoed in the streets and both Magnus and Taako stared down at him. Magnus looked from Angus to Taako, he had been sure that the wizard would have been the one to break the silence, but Taako looked just as taken aback. After several more seconds Magnus caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to face a single person, standing alone in the street they had entered the square from. Magnus waved.  
  
“Hello! Nice to meet you! My name is Magnus Burnsides!” The figure seemed to hesitate, looked around, and then slowly made its way over to where they stood. As the person approached Magnus could see that it was in fact an elderly woman, slightly stooped and wrinkled, walking slowly but deliberately.   
  
“Hello travelers. What are you doing in Groovestone? This is no place for leisure.” Her voice was strong and clear and she looked them over with a sharp gaze.   
  
“Well, you see. This little man said that we could get some sweet reward for dealing with a local pest problem.” Taako jabbed a finger in Angus direction as he spoke. “And we ghost busters can’t pass up on a sweet deal like that.” The old woman kept her eyes on Taako for a slightly uncomfortable amount of time after he had stopped speaking before turning to look down at Angus, who did not seem to appreciate the attention, wringing his hands and shuffling slightly closer to where Magnus stood.  
  
“Are you the one who requested information about the beast?”  
  
“I asked for information regarding the creature that had caused trouble in this town, yes.”   
  
“Well good luck to you then.” And she turned around and shuffled toward where she had come from, not looking over her shoulder.   
  
“What?” Magnus mumbled before taking a step in the direction of the retreating back o the old lady. “Hey! Wait. Can’t you give us some tips? Directions? Anything? We _are_ trying to help you.” The old woman did not stop, but spoke over her shoulder.  
  
“You will get your reward if you are successful. You will not find anyone here willing to help you in this endeavor.” Magnus looked over at Taako, who had a frown on his face.   
  
“Rude hag.” Taako mumbled and sent a quick look down at Angus who seemed a bit crestfallen at their rude reception. Taako put a hand on the boys head and walked past him, not looking down. Magnus pretended not to have seen or heard him.   
  
“Well. We better get going then. Ango, do you know where this beast-thing is hiding?” Magnus put his own hand on the boy’s head and was rewarded by Angus looking up at him with a small smile on his face.   
  
“No sir. But my guess would be to follow _that._ ” Magnus turned to where Angus was indicating and felt his own smile drop.   
  
“Oh shit.” On the opposite side of town than from where they had entered was a deep gash in the land, seemingly having obliterated several houses and stretching into the surrounding forest like a burnt scar in the land.  
  
Magnus heard Taako draw a breath behind him.   
  
“Well, that looks awfully familiar, doesn’t it?”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not beta'd. I write this as a warm-up for other stories, but I hope someone will enjoy it. 
> 
> Hope you are having a good day!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trail leads the trio into the forest, some words are spoken, and emotions are had.

As they approached the burnt mark stretching into the distance Magnus could feel the hairs on his arms stand up. The Phoenix Fire Gauntlet was supposed to have been destroyed by Lucretia. Hell, he had seen it happen! But yet here they were; standing in front of a scorching trail looking, to Magnus’s eyes, identical to the one Gundren Rockseeker had used to transform Phandalin into a giant round circle of black glass.

Magnus quickly looked around, but saw no sign of smoke or fire in the distance, no giant circles of unnaturally black glass, and no sound of a fight; just the long scorch mark in the ground, stretching into the forest and out of sight.

“Well. That looks ominous.” Taako spoke up from behind Magnus and Angus agreed.

“Yes, sir. It really does.”

“Well, let’s follow it to the party!” And without any further discussion Taako walked to the middle of the blazed trail and started following it into the forest. Magnus heaved a deep sigh and followed behind his two companions.

 

 

 

As they walked Angus tried to keep a conversation going, but Magnus was to wound up to focus on what was being said, opting instead for keeping his ears and eyes peeled on the trees surrounding them.

“I am sure it’s nothing real serious. The town seemed relatively fine!” Angus had begun to sound slightly desperate in his attempts at distracting himself, and Magnus felt bad for not responding more actively to his various statements. Taako seemed to take pity on him and indulged the boy in his attempt at starting a conversation.

“Yeah, Ango, except for the fact that it was almost deserted.” Magnus rolled his eyes, of course Taako would go there. Angus drew a quick breath.

“I am sure they were simply inside for dinner! It’s going to be fine, it’s going to be fine.” The boy trailed of while talking; mumbling the last words and Magnus saw Angus slow down his pace slightly, ending up closer to where Magnus walked.

“Sure, sure. Hey, did you see those other marks in and around the town?” This time Taako turned to look at Magnus as he spoke, walking backwards; still following the burnt trail.

“Other marks?” Magnus raised his eyebrows. He had not noticed any other marks.

“I saw them sir! They were burnt into the ground, just like this one, but smaller. Or really; they all were of different sizes.” Angus perked up at the presented conversation topic and Magnus felt a small smile form on his face as he continued his observation of their surroundings.

“Right? None of them this big though. Or this fresh.” At his words Taako kicked at the ground and turned back around, walking with his back to them once again.

“True, sir. And I think this trail is getting fresher.” At these words Magnus focused back at his companions with a frown.

“What do you me-” As he began to speak he could feel it to; a slight residual heat coming from the ground. And as he looked straight ahead he could see a couple of small embers still glowing faintly in the ground. “Oh.” He finished lamely. Magnus quickly lay a hand on Angus’ shoulder and steered him slightly behind him. He could see Taako stop swinging the umbra-staff and take a firm hold of the handle. Angus did not voice any protest, and from his peripheral Magnus could see the boy reach into his belt and pull out his own wand while pushing his glasses up his nose.

They did not talk as they continued forward, the trail they followed getting steadily warmer, until they had to abandon walking in the artificial road the scorch mark made in the forest and opt for the more tolerable temperature of the forest floor beside it.

After walking for another half hour they could hear talking ahead and see some flickering light through the trees. All three of them stopped close to each other.

“What’s the plan?” Angus whispered and Magnus leaned in slightly, while still keeping his eyes ahead. The voices were too far away, only reaching them in vague murmurs, and Magnus gave up on trying to overhear anything. Without tearing his eyes from the direction he guessed the sound and light came from he answered in as quiet a voice he could manage.

“We go in?” Taako snorted at this.

“Sure. Walk right in. Offer them a cup o´ tea why don’t you?” At this Magnus turned his focus to the scowling elf in front of him.

“What do you suggest then, Mr. Smart-pants?” Taako drew a breath, no doubt reading himself to retort with something equally petty, when Angus spoke first; voice low and fast.

“Please, sirs. Don’t fight. We have to work together.” Magnus felt slightly guilty in having put the distressed look on Angus’ face, but the guilt was quickly forgotten when Taako spoke again.

“We’re not fighting Ango. I am simply telling Magnus what a thickheaded idiot he is.”

“Great.” Magnus muttered as he straightened up again. “Well, I’m gonna do something about this beast, or whatever it is, you can sit here and argue all you want.” The anger at Taako made Magnus ignore Angus’ small exclamation of “Please stay, sir! We should actually work out a plan!” as he gripped the handle of Railsplitter and made his way towards the source of the sound and light as quietly as he could manage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This story is not beta'ed so please tell me if you find any errors. English is not my first language and I want to improve.
> 
> I have been busy drawing lately, so I'm sorry for the late update. Will try to keep them more regular in the future :)
> 
> I hope you have a beautiful day, wherever you are!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes finally find the cause of all the trouble.

No matter how determined Magnus was at getting this mission over with and take a break from Taako and his foul mouth, he stopped dead as he saw the source of the sound and light. In between the branches and low bushes he could make out a shape in the middle of the clearing. Or more accurately; a giant shape taking up the whole clearing.  
  
Magnus cast a quick look over his shoulder, feeling a sense of relief that no one had followed him. Taako would probably cause enough of a ruckus storming after him to alert whoever, or _whatever_ , it was that occupied the clearing ahead.  
  
He tried to make himself as small as possible and slowly moved a couple of branches out of the way to get a better look, all the while keeping a tight grip on Railsplitter. He should probably go back and get the rest of his party, but he just wanted to know what that giant thing _was._  
  
It took up most of the clearing, easily reaching thirty meters in length and two meters wide. It had coiled itself in a pile; writhing like a mass of flesh. Magnus took a step back as he realized it was a giant purple worm, rows of teeth glittering in the sun and body… _smouldering_? The whole length of the worm was covered in glowing embers and cracks that looked like they were smoking slightly.  
  
The blazing trail they had been following lead right up to where the worm was coiled on the ground; the grass close to its body was smoldering or blackened. From where Magnus stood, several meters away, he could still feel the heat radiating from the creature like a tangible wall.  
  
Magnus furrowed his brow as he took a step back; he should go back and tell the others what they were up against. A purple worm was no small business, quite literally. He had never seen one that was almost glowing before though, but then again; he had not seen a lot of giant purple worms, maybe it was common.  
  
He could not see the owners of the voices he had heard earlier, and he realized quite suddenly; the voices had stopped talking. The fact that he had no idea where their potential enemies where settled it and he started drawing back; keeping his eyes on the giant worm in front of him. No matter what other people said he knew he had not survived this long only on dumb luck.

  
As he trudged back towards where he had left Taako and Angus he listened for any movement from the clearing behind him, but hearing nothing except the rustle of the wind in the trees and the strangely echoing sound of the worm breathing as it lay curled on the ground. He still couldn’t hear any sound of the people they had heard earlier; in fact he couldn’t hear any people at all. Magnus increased his pace, favoring speed over complete silence as he hurried the last ten meters to where he left Angus and Taako. He should have been able to hear them now right? Taako would not have been quiet for so long, not when he had been in such a bad mood.  
  
Magnus pushed the last of the branches away and took a deep breath as he came upon the place where he left his companions, the _empty_ place where he had left his companions. _Shit._  
  
Magnus frantically searched the surrounding forest, this was not good. A sudden high pitched scream made Magnus whip his head around back towards the clearing. _Angus._ Very not good. Magnus took of the same way he had walked twice now; back towards the giant purple worm and the sudden scream.

__

  
As he once again came upon the clearing, he did not waste time lurking and watching, but sped right into it; Railsplitter held high. The scene he came across was, at first glance, very similar to the one he had left just minutes ago; the giant glowing purple worm in the middle of the clearing, the blazing trail leading up to it, the embers of the dying grass surrounding it. The scene had also changed drastically; the worm was no longer curled up in a pile, but had raised its head high and was focused on a figure in front of it. Magnus felt his breath leave him as he saw Taako raise his wand in a defensive position, his other arm splayed out protectively; trying to shield the person behind him from view. Angus was sitting down on the ground, cradling one of his arms to his chest. Even from this distance he could see the pain on the boy’s face, and the barely concealed anger on Taako’s.  
  
Magnus didn’t hesitate but made for where his friends were, desperate to help and to make sure that they were okay. As he started to circle the giant worm two new figures came into view. Human and small in comparison to the giant creature they were standing next to, but Magnus immediately focused on their hands and the wands in them. So it was going to be a magic fight then.  
  
The worm did not move, simply kept its head raised and its mouth containing row upon row with teeth aimed at Taako and Angus. Magnus was a couple of meters away from his friends now and the couple of wizards on the other side of the worm seemed to finally spot him. The one closest to Magnus, and the worm, raised her wand and a sudden burst of flames roared its way towards him. _No possibility for a peaceful solution then_.  
  
Magnus threw himself to the side, narrowly missing the flames and heard Angus over the roaring flames.  
  
“Magnus! Watch out! Are you okay, sir?” Count on the kid to worry about others when he was clearly the one wounded.  
  
“I’m fine Ango! What happened? You okay?” He straightened up and took the last couple of steps to his companions, seeing Taako ready a Ray of Frost, and hunkering down in front of Angus with his shield out. Not trusting the seemingly idle purple to not attack when he took his eyes of it.  
  
“I am fine, one of them got me with a Mage Hand before we saw them.” Magnus spared a glance to look at Angus’ arm, something the other didn’t miss. “It is okay sir. Simply a little sprain. I am fine.” Angus repeated the reassurance while getting to his feet, Mangus nodding and re-focusing at their newly acquired enemies.  
  
“Hey Taako!” The other did not pause in his conjuring of a Shield big enough to cover them all.  
  
“What?” His voice was tight. Angry. As Magnus spared another glance at Angus and the arm he still cradled to his chest he could not blame him.  
  
“What’s the plan?” Magnus took his place on Taako’s left, eyeing the two wizards and giant worm in front of them. A Scorching Ray connected with the shield and fizzled out in a magnificent display of sparks.  
  
“Beat them into the ground. You take the worm. I got these loosers covered.” He punctuated his speech by sending out a Magic Missile; hitting one of them in the chest and sending them sprawling to the ground.  
  
“Great. Let’s do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sow updates, but working on longer fics for this years nanowrimo! Will still try and finish this relatively soon. Thanks for the support!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's fighting time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! This is the last chapter of this fic, I hope you like it!

Magnus took off at a sprint, focusing on the worm in front of him and choosing to ignore the two wizards in his peripheral; trusting Taako to cover him.

The worm kept its upright position, but gave if no indication that it was about to attack, or even defend itself. Magnus did not hesitate.

The axe came down in one fell swoop, catching the worm in the underside of its body. The massive form made fighting it hard, there was a very limited area in reach, but Magnus was adamant to make the most of it and dealt a second strike that lodged itself in the massive creature. The worm screamed.

It was the first reaction that Magnus had seen from the giant animal, and it was horrifying. The scream stretched and vibrated in the very ground; the head rose even higher and the teeth-lined holed that was its mouth aimed itself towards Magnus.

Magnus quickly pulled the Railsplitter out of the massive body and promptly got dosed by a shower of small sparks. It wasn't until now that he realized how very warm it was this close to the creature. The ax had been in contact with it for a second, but the metal was already sizzling from the contact with the worm's blood and Magnus was immensely grateful for the leather he had wrapped around the handle as it protected his hands, somewhat, from the heat. He just prayed that the weapon would hold.

Magnus did his best to ignore the heat that emanated from the creature and took several steps back, readying himself for the retaliating attack. Nothing happened. The giant worm simply swayed its massive body to and fro while keeping up the unearthly scream.

“Magnus! Shut that damn thing up!” Taako screamed from the other side of the clearing. Magnus could barely hear him over the wailing screech.

“I would be happy to! Tell me when you find the off-button!” Magnus screamed back and spared a look over to where Taako was still holding up the shield, covering Angus, and the human wizard still standing seemed to have stopped their attack when the worm started screaming. They seemed to be readying some kind of spell while keeping their eyes on the still swaying, still screaming, worm.

“Taako! Stop them!” Magnus yelled in a panic as the opposing wizard’s hands started to glow. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good. Magnus looked back at the worm in front of him, but it still didn’t attack.

“Gladly!” Taako shouted and immediately a Ray of Frost burst from his wand and went straight for the chanting wizard. The spell collided at the exact moment as the light from the wizard’s hands shot out towards the worm, reaching it as the wizard fell backwards and landed on the ground.

Magnus tightened his grip on the Railsplitter as the scream suddenly cut off as the worm was enveloped in the glowing light. The silence pushed against his eardrums as the worm went still. Magnus spared a quick glance back to where Taako and Angus were, and saw that Taako was slowly approaching the two fallen wizards. Only one problem left then. The thought had barely formed as the light dispersed and left the worm looking exactly like before; big, threatening, and smoldering. Except now it was no longer swaying aimlessly, or passively standing its ground; now it was aiming its massive head directly at Magnus. There was no mistaking the creature’s intent as it raised its head high only to immediately bring it surging down towards the ground. Towards where Magnus was standing.

“Holy shi-” Magnus threw himself to the side, successfully evading the massive head. The ground shook bad enough that he almost lost his grip on Railsplitter and the heat from the creature’s body made it feel like being in the presence of a giant furnace. This is gonna be tough.

Magnus got to his feet and immediately slammed his axe down onto the creatures head before the monster had time to rise back up. He was once again showered in sparks and he almost instinctively let go of Railsplitter to cover his ears as the worm’s unearthly screaming started up again; and this time he was much too close to its mouth for comfort. After hastily dislodge the big weapon from where it had lodged itself on top of the worm’s head, he backed out of reach.

The worm once again raised its head high, out of Magnus’ reach, and he wished for something to throw at it. The body was heavily armored and he would most likely not deal a lot of damage if he attacked it. If only I had a… wait a minute! Magnus reached towards his back and grabbed his short bow. It might not do a lot of damage, but better than nothing. He fired an arrow at the worm, watching as it bounced off the scales covering the creature. He fired another one, aiming for the open maw, but the monster did not even seem to notice. Fuck this!

In a rage, and feeling like he was out of options, Magnus threw the bow on the ground, grabbed his axe, and hurled it at the beast. It hit just above its gaping maw, jutting out like a bloody metallic horn.

This time he was ready for the screech and covered his ears as he took a step back. The worm once again raised its head, seemingly ready to attack with a similar slam. Magnus reached for Railsplitter at his back, deciding to try and take the chance to hit it again. His hand grabbed at air. He looked at the newly created uni-worm in front of him and felt his shoulders slump. Oh. Great.  
  


* * *

  
“Angus, stay back,” Taako said in an uncharacteristically serious tone and approached the two fallen wizards as the giant worm’s screaming abruptly came to an end. The one he had hit with the Ray of Frost was lying still on the ground, partially covered in ice. The one who had taken a Magic Missile in the chest was gasping for air, clutching her stomach.

Taako bent down over the one who wasn’t moving, and turning to check that Angus had stayed back when he confirmed that she was dead. The kid didn’t need to see this up close.

He made his way over to the other wizard; wand raised and ready to strike if she made any attempt at attacking him. He stopped a meter from where she lay and looked down at the groaning woman.

“Who are you guys?”

“We are… trying… to save… the world,” the woman on the ground gasped out. Taako laughed.

“You are doing a shitty job of it then! A giant worm that terrorizes a town is doing the opposite in my opinion,” Taako sneered. A sudden boom resonated through the air and the ground and Taako whipped his head around to look in the direction of the giant worm; which had just brought its head down like a sledgehammer on the ground, narrowly missing Magnus, if the other’s sprawling form was any indication. I have to make this quick and help him.

“Well, we gotta… find some way to fight… back!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You didn’t think that with all the powerful artifacts in the world,.. that everyone would simply sit back and accept destruction? To accept... being dominated?” The woman said with newfound energy. Taako felt himself go cold. What does she know?

“But you can’t possibly know about the Fire Gauntlet! It was destroyed and erased!”

“The what? You… I couldn’t hear you there?”

“So you don’t know about the relics? But then… how?”

“Ah, so this is the ‘Static’ they warned us about,” the wizard on the ground smiled. She seemed to have caught her breath again, if not all her blood; it was still flowing from the wound the Magic Missile had left on her chest. Taako promptly kicked her in the side to remedy this.

“F-fuuuck…” The wizard wheezed and tried to roll over on her side. Taako planted his foot on her chest, keeping her still and giving a not-so-gentle reminder of the wound he had given her there. A little incentive to talk faster.

“Who do you work for?” Taako did not like playing interrogation, but the giant glowing worm seemed to demand some explanation. Especially considering it was apparently connected to the Grand Relics.

“We… w-will… not … be… k-kept in… the dark!” She gasped. Taako sent a look over at where Magnus was fighting and felt his already low patience run out.

“Will you give me a straight answer?”

“You… will… p-pay… for all… the destruction… you have… w-wrought.” The wizard on the ground wheezed out and tried to spit on his shoe. His new, leather, high laced, dyed boot.

Taako decided that he did not sign up for this when he got out of bed that morning. “You know what? I don’t care anymore.” The sentence was punctuated by a Ray of Frost and the second wizard stopped moving.

“Thank Istus that’s over,” Taako mumbled as he turned towards Magnus and the giant worm. The moment he turned around the worm’s head connected with the ground in a deafening crash. Magnus landed a short way away from the impact on his stomach and Taako cursed under his breath. The jog over was short, but the closer he got, the more he wished that maybe they should have just stayed inside today. The creature appeared to grow the closer he came to it, and as he drew closer he also noticed the heat radiating from it. Maybe I should have gone for a shorter skirt today. Magnus seemed to notice him coming over and quickly got to his feet and backed away from the creature, towards Taako.

“How the fuck we supposed to defeat this oversized earthworm?” Taako said as he went up to stand at Magnus’ side.

“Shoot its face,” Magnus said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Waaaait…

“Where’s your axe?!” Taako looked at the other incredulously. Magnus’ lips turned down and he pointed at the worm in resignation. Taako followed the indication and saw Railsplitter embedded in what passed for the worms face.

“Why did you leave it there?!”

“Well, I couldn’t very well ask the worm to give it back, now could I?”

“Did you try??”

“Fuck off. I don't tell you how to fight!”

“But it’s your only effective weapon!”

“I can fight without it, thank you very much!”

“Excuse me, sirs! Watch out!” The sound of Angus’ voice cut through their shouting and they both whipped around to see the giant worm aiming its head at them with its open maw starting to spew flames.

Taako raised his wand and shot a Fireball at it; hitting the worm’s mouth straight on. Nothing happened.

“It's a giant flaming worm, you idiot! You think it's going to care about a small ball of fire?!”

“See?? You are telling me how to fight!”

“Sirs! Run!” Angus’ voice once again brought them back to the present and they dashed of mere seconds before a giant pillar of flames erupted from the worm’s mouth. The ground where they had stood was scorched black and the burnt ground stretched several hundred meters.

“Holy macaron!” Taako sent a look over to where Angus was still standing, suddenly immensely grateful that he had told the other to stay back.

“Use something cold!” Magnus yelled.

“That's a great idea, sir! But otherwise, maybe I can use Lightning Bolt? Railsplitter should make for a good conductor!” Angus shouted over at them, taking a hesitant step forward. Taako saw the worm firing up again and decided that they better not waste any time, no matter how uneasy the thought of making Angus participate in the fight made him. I will ask Kravitz how to deal with those… ugh… feelings later.

“I knew there was a reason we kept you around Ango!” Taako answered.

A second later a big bolt of lightning hit the creature and Taako had to admit to himself that he was impressed. The worm started convulsing, the fire spluttered out from where it had been building up in its maw. With a final spasm the worm fell down and with it fell Railsplitter; having been dislodged during the monster’s trashing, landing a couple of meters in front of the fallen worm.

Magnus immediately rushed forward, grabbing the axe and turning towards Taako.

“Now! Freeze it!” The Cone of Cold left his wand before he made a conscious decision to fire it. It hit the giant worm on its side; immediately freezing several meters of the creature’s body. The ice hissed at the contact with the warm skin of the monster, but nevertheless kept spreading as Taako kept it aimed at the same spot, willing it to work. In a matter of seconds the whole giant body of the worm was frozen solid, the ice cracking and melting only to immediately reform as Taako kept up the Cone.

“I would love some help here, amigos!” Taako yelled as he felt his energy draining. He would not be able to keep the spell up for much longer.

Magnus immediately raised Railsplitter high and brought it down on top of the worm’s head with as much force as he could muster, praying that this was enough.

The ice shattered. So did the worm.

 

* * *

 

 

Magnus breathed a sigh of relief as the giant body in front of him split and crumbled, releasing steam, gore, and other things he could not identify. It was finally dead. Magnus stepped back and wiped his ax on the ground, taking a deep breath.  
  
“Well, that was exciting,” he mumbled as he took in the ex-worm and all the scorched grass surrounding it. “And it could have gone way worse! Yay us!”  
  
He turned around and saw Angus sink to the ground with a big smile. “Good job sirs! You did it!”  
  
“We did it Ango, together!” Magnus corrected him with a smile of his own.  
  
“Yeah. Good job little man,” Taako said and started walking back over to the boy. Angus smile grew impossibly wider, until a change in the wind brought the smell of burning flesh and grass to all of their attention. The boy’s scrunched up ace made Mangus’ laugh, until the smell made him cough.  
  
“That is foul! I hope the smell washes out,” Taako said as he raised an arm to cover his nose, which was wrinkled in disgust.  
  
“Well, at least I’m not bored anymore. Are you?” Magnus said as he reached a hand down and helped pull Angus to his feet. The look Taako sent him burnt more than the worm had.  
  
“Shut up Magnus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an alternative ending that I might post later if anyone is interested? (It's not as happy as this one). Tell me what you think!
> 
> I believe that over time some organizations would pop up that are dedicated to reproducing the effects of the Great Relics. They would see this as a protection towards the massive destructive power of these things that they have no information about. Of course they won’t remember anything, but some physical evidence is hard to erase, such as the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet’s spherical plate of smooth glass.
> 
> This worm is not as big as the worm in the actual podcast. That’s why they are able to defeat it themselves.


End file.
